Monthly Archives: December 2013

The biggest problem with Christianity is that it makes you “out of place.” John the Baptist was out of place to tell the King he was an adulterer. Jesus was out of place to tell the religious leaders they … Continue reading →

Every tradition in Christianity has a way of describing the simultaneity of the spiritual life. The Catholic/Orthodox traditions speak of the life of piety and mercy. The Anglican/Wesleyan traditions speak of the life of personal and social holiness. The Reformed … Continue reading →

Read Isaiah 63:7-9 Meditation: “Think About It” When I was a child, one of my favorite hymbs was “Count Your Blessings.” It still is, and it is ajin to the spirit of our passage from Isaiah. Look at these similarities… … Continue reading →

We end our Christmas-week meditations with the Church’s affirmation: “Jesus is Lord.” This was the earliest Christian statement of faith. It is a claim which universalizes him. If he is Lord (that is, Yahweh–that is, God), he is no … Continue reading →

We move on to Peter’s declaration. When Peter told Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” he was declaring the reality of the Incarnation. He was saying that Jesus was “eternity entering into time” (Ephesians … Continue reading →

Today is Christmas Day. We receive the angel’s declaration that the Savior is born (Luke 2:11). Like Mary and Joseph, it took angels to convince the shepherds that they were not hallucinating. And like Mary and Joseph, it was … Continue reading →

We move next to Joseph’s experience. Mary’s reputation was at stake; Joseph’s honor was on the line. It took an angel’s visit to both of them in order to prevent them from misunderstanding what was going on. And Joseph, … Continue reading →